Surficial materials map of Connecticut
Prepared in cooperation with the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Geological and Natural History Survey
By: Janet Radway Stone, John P. Schafer, Elizabeth Haley London, and Woodrow B. Thompson
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Abstract
The unconsolidated deposits overlying bedrock in Connecticut range from a few feet to several hundred feet in thickness. These earth materials significantly affect human development of the land. Most of the unconsolidated materials are deposits of continental glaciers that covered all of New England at least twice during the Pleistocene ice age. These glacial deposits are divided into two broad categories, glacial till and glacial stratified deposits. Till, the most widespread glacial deposit, was laid down directly by glacier ice and is characterized by a nonsorted matrix of sand, silt, and clay with variable amounts of stones and large boulders. Glacial meltwater deposits are concentrated in both small and large valleys· and were laid down by glacial meltwater hi streams and lakes in front of the retreating ice margin during deglaciation. These deposits are characterized by layers of well-sorted to poorly sorted gravel, sand, silt, and clay. Postglacial sediments, primarily floodplain alluvium and swamp deposits, make up a lesser proportion of the unconsolidated materials of Connecticut. Alluvium is largely reworked from glacial materials and has similar physical characteristics.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Unnumbered Series |
| Title | Surficial materials map of Connecticut |
| DOI | 10.3133/70046712 |
| Year Published | 1992 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Description | Maps: 2 Sheets: 53 x 41 inches |
| Country | United States |
| State | Connecticut |
| Scale | 125000 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |